Mysterious soy products confuse consumers

The makers of some foods have to work hard to fight against misconceptions. For soy-based products, there are seemingly-contradictory impressions. On one hand, soy has been traditionally associated with tofu and the movement to make more vegetarian-friendly alternatives to meat-based products. Famous examples also include “Tofutti” ice cream and other items that incorporate “tofu” or “soy” into their names

On the other hand, soy doesn’t have a necessarily good reputation. In an article for the US News & World Report, Kristin Kirkpatrick, Christina Fedeli and Jenna Samsa looked at some of the foods that struggle under the negative impressions of the public. When talking about soy, they addressed the idea that soy always means a high GMO content. This is a notable turn-off at a time when many are campaigning for GMO labels and disclosure.

“The key in soy consumption is to consume it whole and unprocessed, such as in tofu, edamame, tempeh or miso,” the authors say. “That’s really the only way to achieve the benefits that isoflavoes have to give. Finally, if you’re concerned about GMOs, simply buy your soy organic.”

Soy products also have the unfair reputation of being only suitable for women due to their estrogen content. But as Jane Lear writes for TakePart, this is no reason for men to avoid soy-based products like milk. But she points out that there has been a lot of research on both sides and that the results are somewhat inconclusive.

The most your company should do is make its product easy to understand and place all of the most important data in one location with an industrial label printer.